Improvement in ballot-boxes



JESSE P. onrein, for LANCASTER; onto.

'Lefrrsyram No. taeeakzaad Fetal-afg 25, 136s.

MPROVBMENT In 'Bittner-BOXES.' i

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TOIALL WHOM I'I MAY CNGERN; y ,Y

Be it known that I, JESSE P. OUTGAL-lg'of Lancasteayin. thecounty-'of'-Fairield, and State of 'Oh have inventeda new-and usefulImprovement in Puniet-Boxes;` and I do hereby declare Vthe following tobea full, clear, and ex'act description ofv the same, reference beinghad to th'enccompanying drawing, making: a part of thisspecificatiom'inwhichi i Figure 1 represents aside 'elevation of myimprorcd ballot-box', the side of the box orcase enclosing the i sameremoved for the purpose of showing the internal arrangement' andconstricton'; and

Figure 2 is a similar rear lend elevation. 1 i f i t I Similar lettersof reference denotecorresponding partsin beth figures.

-My invention consists, iirst, in the provision or employmentl of'a4double spiral hopper, arranged in such manner as to keep theballsseparate, and to convey them to their tumblers a continuous iiow;second, in the employment of `a crescent-shaped tcm-bier, by which theballsare takenv separately'from theho'pper'and deposited in the drawerorfreceptacle underneathfand, third, in the' arrangement of 'the'4spring-trigger or reti-actor, by which the,tumblerisfeperatedgashereinafter vset forth. i i

In' the accompanying dr awings,.A`-represents an outer case'orboxj, madein this instance of a'rectangular,

form, but which `rnaybe made in any desired or suitable form, andof anysuitable niaterihprovidedfwith the bottom, B, and withthe slidingeoveror top, C. D is an.inner frame orbox, of any suitable construction,around which, and between which and the outer frame,iA,fare arranged twoseries 'ofepiral anges or ledges, a b, arranged in such manner as toform the two spiral ways oriinesl c cZ-running from opposite sides ofthe top of boa: vD around said box, and terminating Iin upright`discharge-passages `or outletsfas shownate f, iig. 2f The upper surfaceofthe innerihox, D, is divided by a di:1 ;,ronalrib or ridge, 'fromwhich, asa centre, the surface is inclined down` `Ward irl-'oppositedirections, communicating-with the opposlte dues c d, starting'fromopposite sides of said box insuchmanner as to form suitable hopper-sorreceptacles communicating each with its appropriate spiral fines, At aconvenient point in the verticalpassages or outlets e j' are twocrescent-shaped tumblers E E ,one in each outletLpassage, closing: thesame, and adapted', by the concave or pocket formedI therein, to receiveandretairi one ofthe balls g or g; g, for example, representing thewhite ball, 'and g the black. The crescent-shapedtumblers ar'e mountedor hung )upon central pivot or pivots, 'upon'or with which they are freeto' turn each independently of the other, and are provided? on theirlower surface or si of a-link or `connecting-rod, ,'lis attached,theopposite or front-end of which rod t' is connected to avlslide F inthemanner representedtin ig. 1. 4 The slides F are mounted .insnitableparallel ways outhehorizontal partition Y Gr, and haveoonnectedftoi'them'in any suitable manner ('sce figs. I and 2) one endof'a spring, II,`the opposite end of which is connectedto the'partitionG, or it may be connected to" any other `suitable stationary point in dewith aprojecting pin orV lever, h, to whiehone endlA thev box, andwhich-maybe of any desired construction, so arranged as to holdthe'slides in the position,repre;A sented bythe drawings, except whenacted upon -by'some;entaneousgforce.l I is a drawer, arranged 'in the-bottom of'thebox A, underneathpartition G, to receive the balls fronithe spiral hopper when discharged the rotationA of-t'he tumblers, and Ais an openingin the front of Vthe' box, through which either or b'oththe sli'des are reached and the tuniblers operated for discharcngtlieballs from theinrespe'ctive hoppers. The front ofthe'b'ox or casemaybemarlced upon opposite sides of the aperture AV with 4painted'or'inlaid representations i a white and a black bail,`to indicate theslides, by the operation of 'which a ball of the desired and corre;ispondiugf'color` isl discharged. l g i l Theoperation isasfollows: Thep-erson desiring to deposit either ,a white or black ball or ballotinserts Ahis hand througlrfopening A inthe ontercase A,and, rioting uponwhich lside the balls ofthe desire-d color are located, bymc'ans' of thepainted representations'nthe front of the'. case, operates or drawsforward thei'islde upon that side-ofthe box, and thereby, through pitmanj, rotatesthe corresponding tumbler, and discharges one ball of thedesired colorinto thebox ordrawer IL The tumblers arev so formed las to'receive but a single ball,

:ind the pocket therein should correspond in depth pretty nearly to thediameter of the ballsemploy'ed, ,so'that a continuation of outer'curvedline cti-the crescenbshape'd tumbler in the completion of the circlewill nearly or quite embrace within it the ball lying in the pocketorrccess formed therein.- i

` By 'this arrangement it wil-l befseeathat'but a single. ball can be.discharged by the forward movement?, of. i

the slide, the form ofthe tumbler being such as to present an effectualbarrier tothe balls in the hopper whenever said tumbler is operated.The'slides nre provided with sockets, lips, or thumb-pieces, in anyconvenient v manner, to facilitate their operation or forward movement,and the moment the fingerv is withdrawn, the spring H causes them toresume their former position, shown by the drawings, to receive anotherball. I Y

By the construction and arrangement shown, it Will be seen that it willbe a, matter of impossibilityfor` any person except the operator orvoter to form any idea of the vete or color'of ballot cast, as theopening or aperture in which the hand is inserted to cast such ballotneed only be just large enoughv to admit the hand or the fingers;andivhen the hand is thus inserted, either slide may be operated andeither color of ball deposited, at the optionoil the operator. y

It will be obvious that the-forni of the box or tumbler may beVaried'fromtrectangular to cylindrical or octagonal, or fromcrcscent-sl1aped topolyg'onal; that the construction and arrangement ofthe spring and slide may be varied; the action of the 'springupon thetumbler may be reversed,if desired, in such manner thatvthe tumbler maybe moved into proper position to receive the ball` by the operator,While the action of the spring in retra'cting the slide will cause itsdischarge;y and that the machine, as a whole, may be made of, anydesired dimensions or capacity-without departing from my invention; butthe construction and' arrangement described constitute an economical andeffective one, and one, it is believed, that willbe foundy to accomplishthe desired end in a satisfactory manner. I

Having new describedmy 4improvement-s in ballot-"boxes, what Iv claim,anddcsire to secure by Letters Patent, is-' LvThe double spiral hopper,by which the balls are kept separate and conveyed tothe tumblers in thev manner described. v

2. The crescent-shaped tumblers, by means of which the balls `are takenseparately from the hopper and deposited in the drawer as set forth. v I

3. Thespring H, in combination with the slide, and tumbler' forretracting the same, asset forth,

' JESSE P. OUTCALT.

Witnesses:

JACOB RADEBAUGH, JOSEPH A. SHAW.

